The New International Commentary on the Old Testament | NICOT: Wisdom Literature (5 vols.)
- Format:Digital
Overview
This collection includes the volumes on Wisdom Literature from The New International Commentary on the Old Testament to provide an exposition of Scripture that is thorough and abreast of modern scholarship, yet at the same time loyal to Scripture as the infallible Word of God. This conviction, shared by all contributors to The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, defines the goal of this ambitious series.
This decades-long project has become recognized by scholars, pastors, and serious Bible students as critical yet orthodox commentary marked by solid biblical scholarship within the evangelical Protestant tradition. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament serves as authoritative scriptural guides, bridging the cultural gap between today’s world and the Bible’s. Each volume in the NICOT aims to help us hear God’s word as clearly as possible.
Scholars, pastors, and serious Bible students will welcome the fresh light that this commentary series casts on ancient yet familiar biblical texts. The contributors apply their proven scholarly expertise and wide experience as teachers to illumine our understanding of the Old Testament. Gifted writers, they present the results of the best recent research in an interesting, readable, and thought-provoking manner.
Each commentary opens with an introduction to the biblical book in question, looking especially at questions concerning its background, authorship, date, purpose, structure, and theology. A select bibliography also points readers to resources for their own study. The author’s own translation from the original Hebrew and Greek texts forms the basis of the commentary proper. Verse-by-verse comments nicely balance the in-depth discussions of technical matters—such as textual criticism and critical problems—with exposition of the biblical writer’s theology and its implications for the life of faith today.
- Verse-by-verse commentary
- In-depth discussion of textual and critical matters
- Introductions to each book’s authorship, date, purpose, structure, and theology
The NIC is an amazing scholarly, protestant, evangelical commentary series. It gives verse-by-verse commentary on almost every book of the Bible, including immensely helpful introductory information. The only thing better than the commentary series itself is being able to have the entire thing with you, on your laptop, wherever you go. The NIC for Logos is a great resource that every seminarian should consider.
—GoingtoSeminary.com review
- Title: The New International Commentary on the Old Testament: Wisdom Literature (NICOT)
- Series: The New International Commentary on the Old Testament
- Publisher: Eerdmans
- Volumes: 5
- Pages: 2,533
- The Book of Job by John E. Hartley
- The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 1–15 by Bruce K. Waltke
- The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 15–31 by Bruce K. Waltke
- The Book of Ecclesiastes by Tremper Longman III
- Song of Songs by Tremper Longman III
Partially includedWith Logos, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament will integrate into the Passage Guide. Whenever you enter your passage and click go, results from the NICOT will appear on the text you’re studying. This gives you instant access to exactly what you’re looking for—in far less time than it would take you to walk over to the bookshelf and begin flipping through a print volume, let alone find the information you need.
This commentary on Job follows in the tradition of the NICOT series by providing an up-to-date evangelical commentary based on thorough scholarship. John E. Hartley deals carefully with this book whose language, text, and theology are not only among the most intriguing in the Old Testament but also among the most difficult to grasp.
Hartley begins with a thorough introduction that treats matters of title and place in the canon, text, language, parallel literature in the ancient Near East and Old Testament, author, date, literary features, poetry, structure and genres, and message. In the commentary proper, Hartley uses his knowledge of the cognate ancient Near Eastern languages and displays extensive research in offering a detailed, verse-by-verse exposition that relates each section of the text to the overall message of the book.
Comprehensive, detailed, well-researched, and well-reasoned. An outstanding contribution to studies on the Book of Job.
A very good, solid, traditional commentary on Job in a respected evangelical commentary series. It is another jewel in the crown of NICOT.
—Hebrew Studies
One of the most readable serious commentaries on Job to be written in recent years. The depth of scholarship evident in the book and the ability to relate it to the everyday world are delightful indeed.
—Southwestern Journal of Theology
John E. Hartley is a distinguished professor of Old Testament at Haggard Graduate School of Theology, Asuza Pacific University, in Asuza, CA.
Over 25 years in the making, this much-anticipated commentary promises to be the standard study of Proverbs for years to come. Written by eminent Old Testament scholar Bruce Waltke, this two-volume commentary is unquestionably the most comprehensive work on Proverbs available.
Grounded in the literary criticism that has so strengthened biblical interpretation, Waltke’s commentary on Proverbs demonstrates the profound, ongoing relevance of this Old Testament book for Christian faith and life. A thorough introduction addresses such issues as text and versions, structure, authorship, and theology. The detailed commentary itself explains and elucidates Proverbs as “theological literature.” Waltke’s highly readable style—evident even in his original translation of the Hebrew text—makes his scholarly work accessible to teachers, pastors, Bible students, and general readers alike.
If serious students of Proverbs had to choose only one resource on the book of Proverbs, they would be wise to choose this magnificent commentary by Bruce K. Waltke.
—Criswell Theological Review
Where is wisdom to be found? The book of Proverbs is an obvious answer, yet readers often find it a jumble of disconnected sayings, with little theological value. Having thought long and deeply about Proverbs, Bruce Waltke offers a wonderful guide through the book, elucidating many problems and showing how skillfully the work was composed. He explains each verse with care and authority, dealing with details of the Hebrew but giving pride of place to exegesis and exposition. Here is a realistic, wise, and godly commentary, better than Keil and Delitzsch for the 21st century.
—Richard J. Clifford, professor of Old Testament, Boston College
Bruce Waltke’s Book of Proverbs is destined to become the outstanding commentary on this book of the Bible. For all who are bored with the apparent ‘stuffiness’ of religion and theology, the analysis of life and living as taught here will restore a good dose of realism all over again.
—Walter C. Kaiser Jr., president emeritus, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
Meticulous, insightful, illuminating, erudite, devotional, rich, thoughtful, and wise. All of these words describe this important commentary. Everyone who seriously studies Proverbs needs to read this work.
—Tremper Longman III, Robert H. Gundry professor of Biblical studies, Westmont College
Perhaps the most significant exegetical work on the Book of Proverbs in the last one hundred years. A testimony to [Bruce Waltke’s] interpretive insight and skill, and to his vast experience as an educator and preacher.
Bruce K. Waltke is a professor emeritus of Biblical studies at Regent College in Vancouver, BC, and distinguished professor of Old Testament at Knox Theological Seminary, FL. He is co-author of An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax.
For the modern mind, the book’s cultural setting seems far removed from the 21st century. Proverbs puts a high priority on tradition and age, while the modern mind prizes change and youth. For Christians, Proverbs seems irrelevant. For the translator, Proverbs defies translations.
In the second part of his two-volume commentary, Waltke confronts these exegetical and interpretive challenges head on. This historico-grammatical commentary on Proverbs uncovers the profound philosophical and theological insights of this ancient book. Waltke helps readers understand the poetics used in its composition, and challenges modern prejudices toward the book.
The best overall commentary on Proverbs available at this time. Its two volumes greatly enrich our understanding of an important biblical book.
—Interpretation
Waltke brings to bear a lifetime of learning and expertise as a world authority on Hebrew grammar. His theological approach is conservative evangelical and intended to serve the Christian pulpit and laity.
—Raymond C. Van Leeuwen, professor of biblical studies, Eastern University
Bruce K. Waltke is a professor emeritus of Biblical studies at Regent College in Vancouver, BC, and distinguished professor of Old Testament at Knox Theological Seminary, FL. He is co-author of An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax.
Ecclesiastes is one of the most fascinating—and hauntingly familiar—books of the Old Testament. The sentiments of the main speaker of the book, a person given the name Qohelet, sound incredibly modern. Expressing the uncertainty and anxieties of our own age, he is driven by the question, “Where can we find meaning in the world?”
But while Qohelet’s question resonates with readers today, his answer is shocking. “Meaningless,” says Qohelet, “everything is meaningless.” How does this pessimistic perspective fit into the rest of biblical revelation? In this commentary, Tremper Longman III addresses this question by taking a canonical-Christocentric approach to the meaning of Ecclesiastes.
Longman first provides an extensive introduction to Ecclesiastes, exploring such background matters as authorship, language, genre, structure, literary style, and the book’s theological message. He argues that the author of Ecclesiastes is not Solomon, as has been traditionally thought, but a writer who adopts a Solomonic persona. In the verse-by-verse commentary that follows, Longman helps clarify the confusing, sometimes contradictory message of Ecclesiastes by showing that the book should be divided into three sections—a prologue (1:1–11), Qohelet’s autobiographical speech (1:12–12:7), and an epilogue (12:8–14)—and that the frame narrative provided by prologue and epilogue is the key to understanding the message of the book as a whole.
An outstanding contribution to studies on Ecclesiastes.
Tremper Longman’s commentary on Ecclesiastes is a welcome addition to the NICOT series and a solid contribution to the elusive field of wisdom in ancient Israel. Longman exhibits his literary and theological sensitivities in a very accessible style.
—Journal of Biblical Literature
This commentary goes a long way in solving the riddle that is the book of Ecclesiastes. Will be highly treasured by those who have opportunity to teach and preach the message of Ecclesiastes.
—Daniel I. Block, Gunther H. Knoedler Professor of Old Testament, Wheaton College
Longman offers a provocative genre- and structure-based explanation for the divergent perspectives expressed within the book of Ecclesiastes. His thorough exposition of Qohelet’s “meaningless” search for meaning and of the canonical book’s final critique of skepticism ultimately points readers toward Jesus Christ, whose death and resurrection have restored meaning to life ‘under the sun.’
—Richard Schultz, Carl Armerding and Hudson T. Armerding Professor of Biblical Studies, Wheaton College
Tremper Longman III is Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies and chair of the religious studies department at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. His other books include Introduction to the Old Testament, How to Read the Psalms, Reading the Bible with Heart and Mind, and Literary Approaches to Biblical Interpretation.
Relationships are a wonderful, mysterious, often elusive, and sometimes painful part of the human experience. The most intimate of all human relationships, according to the Bible, is that between a husband and a wife. It is no surprise, therefore, that there is a book of the Bible, the Song of Songs, that focuses on this relationship. What is surprising is how little attention is given to the Song of Songs by scholars, by the church, and by readers of the Bible. With this volume Tremper Longman III unpacks for modern people what this ancient love poem says about the male-female relationship—and, by analogy, about God’s love for his people.
Longman’s superb study begins with a thorough introduction to the Song of Songs and its background. Longman discusses the book’s title, authorship, date, literary style, language, structure, cultural milieu, and theological content. He also canvasses the long history of interpretation of the Song of Songs, a history too often characterized by repression of the text. In the commentary itself, Longman structures the Song of Songs according to its 23 poetic units and explains its message verse by verse. The exposition is made clearer by Longman’s adoption of an anthropological approach to the text and by his frequent comparisons of the Song of Songs with other ancient Near Eastern literature.
Learned yet highly accessible, innovative yet fully informed by past scholarship, this commentary shows the beautiful Song of Songs to be a timeless celebration of human love and sexuality.
One of the most helpful commentaries there is for understanding the details of the text sensitively but with full focus on the physical and sexual aspects of the poetry.
—Heythrop Journal
An attractive contribution to the well-established NICOT series. A thorough, accessible commentary of the Song of Songs, giving the novice theological student an introduction to a wide range of scholarly opinion, both ancient and modern.
Faithful to the format of this fine series, [Longman’s] extensive introduction treats questions of authorship, literary style, the history of interpretation, and other features that are specific to this particular biblical book. The commentary itself takes the literary characteristics of the book seriously and engages the thinking of other scholars in its explanation. The rich metaphors that fill the poems are carefully examined and their obvious sexual connotations are delicately interpreted. The book is highly recommended.
—The Bible Today
Tremper Longman III is Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies and chair of the religious studies department at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. His other books include Introduction to the Old Testament, How to Read the Psalms, Reading the Bible with Heart and Mind, and Literary Approaches to Biblical Interpretation.
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